Youngster IV
by Inkognito97
Summary: Sequel to 'Youngster III' A Sith Knight has to face his greatest challenge as of yet... an annoying former Padawan... Part 25.4 of 'The ABC of Obi-Wan'


Here you are, the sequel of 'Youngster III'. I would recommend reading that one first, even though it probably would not be needed to understand this one.

As always, I do not own Star Wars or any of ist Characters, I just borrow and Play with them for a while.

I hope you enjoy! ^^

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Youngster IV:

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's voice sounded strained with a warning undertone to it and usually it would have been a clue for the blonde Jedi Knight to back off, but he ignored it. Obi-Wan was not his Master anymore and he was not a Padawan anymore, Anakin reminded himself firmly, in hope of finding more courage.

"With all due respect Obi-Wan," he forced himself not to say 'Master', "you have no right to give this order!"

"And why is that?" his calm attitude usually helped Anakin to calm down his temper as well, but right now it only fuelled his anger.

"Because you don't understand anything! How could you? You were raised in that pretty Jedi temple of yours, you don't know what it means to suffer and to fight for your own survival like that."

"Careful," something in Obi-Wan's tone sent a shiver down the younger male's spine and he felt the hair on his arms stand up. He was not the only one, who had caught on to the changed mood in the usually serene man. His Padawan had also taken a step back. "Be very careful of what you say now Anakin."

"You are not my Master anymore and if you cannot take critique than this is not my problem," he was getting louder with every spoken word. "You are just so full of yourself and the Code and the Order. You don't even know how certain parts of the galaxy work, do you? You don't understand anything; you are just an ignorant..."  
"Enough!" Anakin and Ahsoka flinched at the raised voice, Obi-Wan was not somebody to yell. In fact the blonde had never heard him yell before, only when he was shouting commands over the sounds of a raging battlefield, but that was of course something entirely different. "It is you, who is too arrogant to see farther than his own nose. And telling me I don't understand," he huffed and shook his head and Anakin could have sworn that his blue-green eyes had a yellow tint to them, "I understand better than you think, probably even better than yourself. So, don't speak about things you can't comprehend boy, especially not if you cannot see far enough. What do you think would happen if we interfered now, huh?"

So it was back to 'boy' now, wasn't it? "Well," the older man did not let him finish.

"We'd ruin the whole planet, probably the whole system and do you know why?" his voice was getting louder and louder, it even caused the clones to pay attention, "Because this fucking system depends on slavery! If we take that away, we can just as well kill them all now, it would actually be a show of mercy. At least then they would have to starve or die of thirst. Have you any idea what a gruesome death that is? It is a long process, with pain and a lot of suffering along the way."

Nobody spoke a word, the only sound was Obi-Wan's harsh panting, from his previous outburst. Nobody, neither the clones nor Ahsoka or Anakin had ever heard Obi-Wan swear, let alone lose his famous cool. Gone was the great and wise Council member, the Negotiator, and in his place stood just a normal man. The Jedi Master cast a last glance at his former Padawan, before he turned around with his fists clenched at his sides. This should have been the last hint for Anakin to drop the subject this very instant, but again he did not get it.

"Yet they would be free..." it was a poor argument, Anakin was aware of that, but he still uttered it out aloud.

"Freedom?!" the older male huffed mockingly, "Freedom is just an illusion, created to fool the weak minded. We are never truly free. We are always slaves of something or someone, be it emotions, an actual person or just the Force."

"Master?" Ahsoka's voice was shaky and it was clear that the Padawan was highly distressed. She was witnessing treason against the Code and the Order and they all knew what happened to those people. They had witnessed it enough times already. Traitors were imprisoned to never be seen again, or killed on the spot, without any of that so called 'mercy' the Jedi always pretended to have. Anakin had also seen Obi-Wan dealing with such a traitor. It didn't need to be said that Pong Krell was barely alive after this. Back then Anakin had thought his Master had acted so harsh and violent, because Krell had threatened them all.

Now it was the blonde's turn to scoff. "Please," he stepped closer to his former Master's tense form. He had forgotten all the previous carefulness, "that's not slavery. You wouldn't even recognize slavery when it spat right into your face."

A low chuckle escaped the shorter man, but it lacked all humour and warmth, "As always you are absolutely right." He was slowly turning around again, chin held high in a mixture of defiance and pride. "I have no idea what it means to be a slave, at least not a slave as you were... I was just a dirty orphan boy no one cared about, fighting for my life and against any kind of abuse and that on a daily basis. But of course you – the great Chosen One that you are – are right, when you say that I do not know what it means to suffer."

His eyes found the younger male's again and all Anakin had to say to argue his point – despite his knowledge that it would do him no good against the Negotiator, especially since he was not in the right – died on his tongue. Instead of the usual warm and familiar blue-green eyes he had expected, Anakin was greeted by cold and calculating gold ones. They did not have the same ugly tone those Sith had, but the shift in the Force was undeniable. Obi-Wan's warm and bright presence, darkened. It did not vanish completely, but it certainly was dimmed quite a lot. Something else caught the blonde's attention and it were the marks that were slowly appearing on the older male's face. He had never seen anything like this ever before. Neither have the clones and Ahsoka, who either tightened their grip on their weapons or took a large step back.

"In reality YOU are the one who does not know the true meaning of suffering. For you the world is just black and white, good and evil, Jedi and Sith. Newsflash," his voice was quivering and the young Skywalker was not sure if it was from his anger or from something else, "there IS no such thing as true segregation. All people are good, as well as evil. The difference is, that some people are better to hide their darker sides than others. You of all people should know this." The last part was barely more than a hiss and it left the young Knight wondering, how much his former Master truly knew about him.

"Who are you?"

Obi-Wan huffed and shook his head, "After all these years... and you are still asking the wrong questions. It's as if you still were a mere Padawan."

Anakin clenched his hands into fists, he was aware of his own Padawan, who bravely stepped forward and grabbed his arm in a death grip. She was just as confused as he was, as they all were. "What are you?"

The deep golden eyes seemed ablaze suddenly. "I am a Sith Knight. A true Sith, not one of those monsters. I am just a Sith in Jedi disguise, always have been."

A sudden realisation ran through the young Jedi. It was not the fact that the man he had thought he knew everything about, was something different, it was not the fact that the great epitome of a perfect Jedi Master was in truth a Sith Knight, it was not the fact that Obi-Wan had experienced so many painful things on his own, that was bothering Anakin. It was the fact that Obi-Wan never really cared about him. He would have told him otherwise. Or perhaps not. His former Master was a Sith. Sith did not love, Sith did not care for anybody but themselves. Obi-Wan certainly would not care about Anakin. Why should he? Obi-Wan had always denied the fact that he, Anakin, was the Chosen One. Why else should somebody show any interest in him? Even the Jedi Order only cared about him, because he apparently was the child of the prophecy.

For years Anakin had believed that Obi-Wan stood above such trivial thoughts. He had truly believed that the ginger haired man cared about him, loved him even. But apparently he had been wrong, like so often in his miserable life. What good was he? His mother had not talked to him in months, she was too busy with her new family. Ahsoka saw him as her Master and mentor, even she rather spent her time with her friends. Obi-Wan and Padme had been the only constants in his life, but now even that turned out to be a lie.

"Master?" Ahsoka's voice was unsure. It was only of little consolation that the young female was seeking protection from him.

"Go," the young Skywalker surprised everyone with his steady and controlled voice.

"Excuse me?" the Sith asked with one eyebrow raised and arms stubbornly crossed before his chest.

"Go," he repeated, "You are not my Master, you are no Jedi Knight and you are no General of the Republic. You have no place here."

"And if I stay?" the challenge lacked the expected venom.

"Then I will make you a prisoner in the name of the Jedi Order AND the Republic." Anakin held his head high. He had not expected his former Master to laugh.

"Is that so? And what do you expect will happen to you then, the former student of me? Do you truly think they will welcome you back with open arms?" He shook his head, "You will be an outcast, at best. Perhaps you will be banished... or executed. The great and forgiving Jedi Order is not so nice and peace-loving as soon as the dark side is concerned. Quite ironic really. Jedi with all their talk, forbid emotions and fear above all. Yet they fear the dark side..." he tilted his head and shrugged, but did not continue his trail of thoughts. Anakin had not wanted him to though. These were thoughts he himself had had too at certain points in his apprenticeship.

Anakin stepped back, dragging his Padawan with him. His hands found his head, which he was vigorously shaking in a mixture of denial and confusion. This was all too much in not enough time. The darkened Force aura around the older male did not help to clear his head and thoughts either. Perhaps when he had not provoked his former Master like he had done, then this whole mess could have been avoided. Then they would have returned to the temple, the three of them, just Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and him. They could have gone on with their normal life, but of course he had ruined it. There was no second chance and there never would be. He had – once again – ruined something great and precious in his life. Something he already missed dearly.

The Force was in uproar. Things were not going as it had planned. It had interfered, hoping to mend a rift that had not yet formed, hoping to keep a dark and bad future from happening by strengthening the bond between two individuals. Unfortunately it had just made things worse. That meant that the Force had to interfere a second time. Then again, often it had to become worse before it became better.

Both Jedi were in too much distress to pay any attention to the Force, as well as their surroundings. Fortunately for them, the present Sith did, which is why he felt the assassin – undoubtedly hired by Sidious to stop or kill the Jedi, who had more than once ruined his plans – approaching. Golden eyes widened when their owner realized who the target for the assassin attempt was. Years of friendship, companionship and love made him react.

"Anakin," said Knight looked up at the panicked exclamation. What in the world could make a Sith sound so full of fear? Before his brain could comprehend what exactly was happening, his former Master had jumped forward. A shot sounded through the air and the next moment the form of Obi-Wan Kenobi laid on the ground, writhing in pain and holding his midsection. Anakin immediately knew what had happened as well as his ever loyal troops. He bellowed a command to them and ordered his Padawan to search for the medic and bring him here. Ahsoka immediately complied as well as the clones, who actually had already moved on their own, before the young Skywalker had even uttered a world.

The blonde stayed where he was. He knew that he was out of danger. The Force told him. That and he could feel the assassin retreating. Back into the hole he had come from. Anakin slowly crouched down and turned the wounded man around so that he was lying on his back.

"Obi-Wan?"

A pained groan escaped the older male's lips, before he slightly opened one of his golden eyes to look into Anakin's face. A shaky hand reached up and Anakin allowed the contact. A warm and trembling finger connected with his cheek and the open and worried expression turned relieved.

"You're alright?" it was something between question and statement.

"Yes," Anakin nodded. He had gathered the injured man in his arms. Obi-Wan moaned in pain at the movement and for a few moments, his shielding slipped. Immediately Anakin was greeted by worry and love and both was directed at him. The young Knight could barely believe it. Did Obi-Wan truly care for him, despite him being a Sith? Then again, why would he throw himself before Anakin to protect him from the assassination attempt if he didn't? Perhaps the blonde had just overreacted? Perhaps Obi-Wan was truly not like those monsters they had encountered and sometimes even defeated? Perhaps Obi-Wan could still remain the much needed constant in his life?

"I'm glad," the man was beginning to slur, which was not a good sign and neither was the blood that was quickly escaping the wound in his abdomen. Anakin silently cursed the medic. Why did it take so long for him to arrive?

"I'm sorry Master," Anakin confessed.

"Whatever for?" the older male replied, but is eyes remained closed.

"For saying those terrible things to you. I allowed my emotions to control me... I should have given them to the Force instead of acting on them. I... I am sorry that I am not a better Jedi. I cannot even do something as easy as releasing my emotions."

Obi-Wan hummed and he even opened his eyes. Anakin was aware of the effort it took the man to do so. "You're special Anakin, you always have been." He took a shaky breathe, "Perhaps I should have approached another attempt, another way. You are not someone to release emotions, it is not in your nature. Perhaps I should have taught you how to keep them in check, how to accept and control them, like I have been taught to do." His body was starting to tremble from the blood loss, but at least the young Jedi Knight could feel Ahsoka returning and she was not alone.

"You still can, all you have to do, well, is not to die." He was holding on to all the hope he could find in himself.

"Sounds easy enough," there was Obi-Wan's trademark smirk again, the sassy reply and the amused sparkle in his eyes that Anakin knew so well from his Padawan days. In this moment he knew that everything could be alright again. There were still a lot of questions between them that needed to be answered, but if the Force willed it, then they would have enough time to speak about everything else later.

Meanwhile Ahsoka and Kix had arrived.

* * *

It was too bright for the young Sith's liking. It also hurt like hell. The latter told him that he was still very much alive. Not that he had doubted the will of the Force for one second, it was something Qui-Gon had taught him for years, even long after he had been knighted.

He took a few deep breathes and prepared himself mentally for the task ahead. When it was already so bright with his eyes closed, then it would be terrible and a lot worse when his eyes were open. So he slowly and little by little, opened first his right eyes just a slit and then his left eye. The light hurt, but the Force immediately came to his call and soothed the thudding inside his head.

Apparently the Force was not the only one, who had heard him calling, for a few seconds after he had opened his eyes fully, the door to his medical room opened. You could not really call this room a medical facility. It was just a normal room in which all kind of strange medical devices had been pushed that were supposed to help him, but still.

"Obi-Wan?" the hesitant voice of Anakin Skywalker sounded and a moment later the blonde peeked through the partly opened door.

"Come in young one," the younger male did not need to be told twice. He quickly stepped in and closed the door behind him before making his way towards the sick bed. "Hello there," Obi-Wan was feeling quite strange, but in a good way and he wondered what drugs and sedatives he was on.

An amused smile appeared on the younger male's features. "How are you feeling Master?"

"Better than expected actually," he answered truthfully. No need to lie now.

They stayed a few minutes in comfortable silence, both adults following their own private thoughts. It was clear to the Sith that his young companion desperately wanted to ask his questions, but he waited patiently for Anakin to figure out what to ask first and what could wait until later. After a moment Anakin sat down on the hard bed, close to Obi-Wan's torso.

Eventually the young Skywalker opened his mouth, "Why did you not train me in the arts of the Sith?"

A tired and pained expression appeared on Obi-Wan's features. "When we first met... I remember you telling me about your dream. You wanted to travel every single star in the universe and you wanted to do so as a Jedi. I did not train you as a Sith, because I did not want to take your dream from you." Something heavy formed in Anakin's stomach at those words. This conversation was not going the way he had imagined.

"Why... no, I mean," Anakin himself was not sure what he meant. He wanted to ask, but he didn't know WHAT to ask. Everything was just so fuzzy right now.

Obi-Wan however seemed to know exactly what his young companion wanted to hear. "I know what it feels like to have lost anything, to have nothing, just one single dream that keeps you company. A single dream, the beacon of light at the end of the tunnel, is enough. It was the only thing that kept me alive, it was what gave me hope."

"How?"

"I was once an orphan, Anakin. I had nothing. No parents or siblings and no other relatives. I had no place to stay, no shelter from the weather or from the temperature. I was alone, always hungry and thirsty. The only things I had were the clothes I was wearing and that dream in my head," he huffed, "I was left on my own to wander the streets, with no one to take care of me, but myself. I have seen things a child should never see, I have experienced things you wouldn't dream of. A lot of people become insane, but not I. I had that little hope and I held it dear to my heart."

"What was it about, your dream I mean?" Anakin asked breathless. He had closer to his former Master's head.

"It had not really been a dream, what I realized later. It had been a real vision, one I had always during one of the few nights I had found something akin to a roof over my head. It was raining and lightning bolts were dancing on the sky above my head, yet I had felt oddly at peace and eventually succumbed to sleep. In this world, this place to escape the harsh reality, I 'dreamed' of somebody who would come for me and take me with him, somebody who could love me and who would take care of me. I didn't know who it was, not even what gender that person had or how the person looked, but I knew he or she would come and that was everything I needed. And eventually, it turned out to be true. That special somebody turned out to be a tall man with a wild mane as hair. I felt connected to him as soon as I saw him. It was as if we belonged together." The ginger haired male stopped in his talking when a medical droid entered the room to check his vitals and to leave food and something to drink on the small table next to his bed. He didn't touch the food, but the water was consumed greedily.

"What happened next?" Anakin asked after a short silence. He was completely captured by the story. Never before had Obi-Wan revealed something from his childhood and the young Jedi felt deeply moved to know that his former Master trusted him with such an important memory. Even the previous argument was completely forgotten at this point.

Obi-Wan looked at him and continued his small tale, "I knew that he was the one, who would save me, but I also knew that he was not ready yet. Nevertheless I tried to stay close to him. He was always nice and kind to me and he offered me food and other things when he spotted me. But he had somebody else with him. A young man, with black hair and the dark haired male betrayed him. My saviour had been betrayed, captured and tied up even and I not only feared for his life and wellbeing, but for our connection. I desperately wanted to help him, but something held me back. Much later I realized that it was the Force telling me to be patient. So I waited and I think HE knew that I was there. At some point I was able to get a hold of his weapon – a heavy lightsaber – and I immediately knew how it worked. I – unwillingly – fought the boy with the black hair and won, he died and I saved the man from my dreams. It was then that I felt that he was ready, truly ready, and he did take me under his wing then. He gave me everything I had ever hoped for, he gave me a place to stay, a home, but most importantly, he gave me a family and someone to love, something like a father even."

"Qui-Gon," Anakin whispered after Obi-Wan had ended his long speech. He was oddly moved by the story; to hear that his Master had experienced a fate even worse than his own, made him see Obi-Wan in a completely different light. "I am sorry Master..." he finally said, "...you must miss him terrible."

"Yes, ever day."

Anakin nodded, "I couldn't bear the thought of losing my mother like this. Knowing she was dead and wondering if I could have prevented it somehow."

"Dead?" Obi-Wan asked aloud, but there was something in his tone, "Oh Anakin, Qui-Gon is not dead."

"What? But the Council said-"

Suddenly Obi-Wan sat up straighter in the bed, all the pain seemingly forgotten. His eyes were beginning to turn golden again and something dark was forming on his right cheek. "I am well aware of the lies the Council has fed us! It was them, who faked his death and it was them, who captured him, only to hide him somewhere and keep him like a dog!"

Anakin jumped up from his position on the bed. He could feel the dark side vibrate around Obi-Wan and with fascination did he feel how the wound on the older male's abdomen was healing itself. Apparently not everything the Jedi said about the dark side was right. Obviously it COULD heal.

"What do you mean by 'they keep him like a dog'?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" He only continued, when the blonde shook his head, "He was captured to be interrogated and to be examined."

"Why?" Anakin asked breathless.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and for a short moment he closed his eyes. "I... You know that I killed that Sith on Naboo, don't you?" Anakin nodded, of course he knew, everybody in the Order knew that story. "Well, apparently the Council was quite bothered by the fact that I – a mere Padawan – was able to defeat him single handed. Qui-Gon had written the mission report and he made the mistake on saying that I HAD to face him alone, because we were separated. The Council apparently was not very pleased to hear that. I should mention that the Sith trials ask of you to slay your opponent in the Force and you have to do so alone. Well, it was... a few months after I took you as my Padawan learner when they apparently came to the decision that something was wrong with the report or at least with me. One evening they requested my presence in their Chamber and of course I followed. I had not expected to be met by the Guardians as well as ALL Council members and their hostile aura. They took me in custody that evening without any explanation except that they feared that I had succumbed to the dark side. The put me into one of those Force suppressing cells, for hours, and I was so frightened. I knew that they were about to scan me and that I had no way of escape."

"What happened next?" Anakin had not realized it, but he was tightly gripping the sheets of the bed. So tight in fact, that his knuckles were turning wide. Without hesitation, Obi-Wan took his former student's hands in his own.

"They searched my mind – not everything, I was able to protect at least SOME parts of my being – and they found darkness. At this point they were deciding what was to happen with me. Qui-Gon had figured out what was going on as well and he had rushed into the Council Chamber. He," Obi-Wan cleared his throat. It was obvious that this part of the story was deeply bothering the ginger haired man. "He told them that the darkness the Council had found... was his. He revealed his true nature, his Sith nature and of course the Council immediately believed his lies. They had searched his mind then and there as well, without any preparations, they violated him. But Qui-Gon was still able to form a lie in his mind that they did not identify as such. Perhaps you should know that the Council had kidnapped me when I was still young. They were aware of my Sith nature. However, my former Master was able to convince the Jedi that he was desperately trying to find that dark spark in me to ignite the flame inside of me. They truly believed that Qui-Gon was the evil Sith and that he just tried to pull me down with him. In the end I was spared and Qui-Gon was treated like a dirty criminal."

"The mind search... was it how it is always described?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes. They sedate you and tie you down. You cannot move, you cannot escape. It's terrible. They are strangers and... and they are invading your mind, against your consort. They do not care about your wellbeing and if you block them, they will push their way inside. The pain is almost unbearable. I cannot imagine how it had to be for Qui-Gon. He was not sedated... it must have been unbearable. And he went through all of this to protect me..." Anakin squeezed the other's hand tightly in a sign of comfort. A small smile appeared on bearded features, Obi-Wan's eyes were warm and open when they met Anakin's.

"You know, sometimes I wish I WAS like those monsters we are fighting. Then I would not be so strongly bothered by it. Or perhaps I would be touched even more, I am not sure. I think I would want revenge... and Master Dooku would want to."

"Dooku?" his eyebrows were furrowed.

"Yes, Dooku cares deeply about Qui-Gon and me... and even you and Ahsoka. You are of his line after all."

"Oh?" Anakin doubted that.

"He didn't mean to cut off your arm young one. But he somehow had to make sure that his disguise was still in place. Believe me, if he had truly meant us harm, then we'd be either dead or severely handicapped now."

Anakin swallowed heavily and nodded. He distantly remembered Dooku from his early days as a Padawan. The man had always seemed so distant and proud and sometimes even arrogant. But there had also been those rare and special moments when he had actually seemed human.

"And Qui-Gon... what is going to happen to him?"

"I don't know," he sounded defeated and tired. "We have searched restlessly for him, but to no avail. When he is still alive, then we don't know where he is..."  
A moment of silence passed between them. Then, "I will help you!"

"Anakin?"

He jumped up from his sitting position, but he did not let go of Obi-Wan's warm and comforting hand, "I will help you search for him. It will not look suspicious when I or Ahsoka study him. We can find him and we can free him, together. I know we can." Adrenaline was pumping in his veins. He was determined. Finally there was an opportunity for him to repay all those years Obi-Wan had spent with him. Finally he could do something.

The older male's eyes were suspiciously wet when he pulled the blonde down into a tight hug. "Thank you," was whispered into Anakin's ears and in this moment, the galaxy seemed whole again.

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